I’m currently a freshman and this is my planned schedule for high school, however I’m at a loss for volunteering/extra-curricular ideas. I would love to attend Stanford, Berkeley, or the University of Washington. I would also apply to other Californian colleges like Occidental or Pomona.
9th:
Inquiry Science 3/4 (10th grade level)
AP Human Geography
Pre-AP Literature 1/2
Geometry
French 1/2
Concert Band
10th:
Chemistry
AP European History
Pre-AP Literature 3/4
Algebra 2
French 3/4
Symphonic Winds (lower level band)
*self-studying AP Psychology and AP Chemistry
11th:
AP Biology
AP US History
AP Literature
Pre-Calculus
French 5/6
Wind Symphony (higher level band)
*self-studying AP Art History and AP World History
12th:
AP Physics
AP US Government and Politics/ We the People
College Writing and Literary Analysis
AP Calculus AB
College French
Wind Symphony
*taking AP French exam
My two most important academic ECs would be:
Speech and Debate (Varsity all four years of high school except 9th)
We the People (only allowed in 12th grade, its supposed to be great on your transcript. My school’s Weople team consistently makes top ten in nationals every year)
Sportswise, I’ll have played varsity tennis all four years of high school. And I know marching band isn’t really a sport but I will have been in varsity marching band from 10th to 12th grade.
I’m planning to take both the ACT and SAT but I’m not sure how I’ll do maybe 30 and 2000 at best?
So basically I’m wondering what kinds of ECs and volunteering colleges will be looking for, and about how much. I know they want you to do something you are passionate about and its quality over quantity, but I honestly have no idea what my passions are. I’ve been so focused on getting good grades the past few years that I haven’t really dedicated time to anything else (sad I know). But yeah can you just put some ideas below? and is my class schedule competitive enough to apply to colleges like Stanford?
You are too late to do any additional significant EC. If you really want to go for it, Intel STS Finalist will make a huge difference on your app, and would give you a near certain chance of getting into all of the schools on your list. Otherwise, just focus on your essays- in my experience, after a certain point, they often matter much much more than ECs.
Also your schedule is a bit light for Stanford, but it really depends on what school you go to. A 30 or 2000 will by no means cut it unless you are double hooked.
Rather than adding EC’s, you should prioritize getting the highest GPA you possibly can, and try to get a higher SAT or ACT than what you are projecting. A 30 ACT or 2000 SAT is in the bottom 25% for Stanford or Pomona. Take some sort of practice/diagnostic test to figure out what test will be best for you, the ACT or SAT. Around us lots of testing companies offer a free diagnostic in hopes of luring you in to pay for tutoring. Once you figure out which is better, there is lots of good info on the CC test prep forums. Honestly you’re better off with a 35 ACT/high GPA/OK EC’s than 30 ACT/middling GPA/Killer EC’s.
As for EC’s, depth is more important than breadth, in my opinion. If you really like marching band, speech & debate and varsity tennis, that seems like plenty to me as long as you concentrate on excelling at them.
If you like speech & debate, do multiple events. That’s a way to show some diversity of talent and effort, since speech events are quite different from debate events. NSDA offers an Academic All American Award but you need 750 points (much easier to achieve by the end of junior year if you do multiple events) and a minimum GPA of 3.7 uw.
If you want to add an EC, Model UN or Mock Trial sort of complement speech & debate. But I would be wary of the time commitment with orchestra/marching band, varsity tennis, and speech & debate. Again, all sort of EC’s don’t help if your GPA suffers as a result.
@aude183 I thought you were a rising senior because you listed out your entire schedule. If not, aim for president of at least 1 club, executive officer in an additional 2/3. Make sure that you get some awards as well (AIME, USABO, National Merit, etc.). Leverage your summer for internships/research- I made sure that I was busier during summer than in the school year.
Try writing a book or something that stands out. Best if you are a bestseller
Also, if you are D1 athlete, you could be recruited and practically get in automatically
